Wednesday, June 7 to Sunday, June 11, 2023 (Puntledge River RV Park, Courtenay, BC)

We have had a busy couple of days exploring more of our area. Lots of pictures, so we thought we'd do a blog update.

Wednesday (June 7) morning we decided to go up to Mount Washington Alpine Resort and hike the Paradise Meadows Trail which is located in Strathcona Provincial Park. We've done this trail a couple of times in the past with Ray and Deb and again with Earl and Allison...

Paradise Meadows, and ultimately Forbidden Plateau, is located in Strathcona Provincial Park. With over 250,000 hectares to explore, Strathcona is Vancouver Island’s largest park. The park is divided into two separate areas: Buttle Lake and vicinity, accessed via Campbell River, and Forbidden Plateau, accessed via Mount Washington.

Forbidden Plateau is roughly 160 hectares in size and is located on the east side of Strathcona Provincial Park.

As Forbidden Plateau is at a high elevation, the area can be covered in snow from as early as the end of October until as late as June. While you can still access this area during that time, you will be doing so with snowshoes. This means the area is most easily accessible during the summer and early fall. During the early summer (around mid-July), expect to see brilliant wildflowers of many varieties. In early autumn, you will see beautiful fall-coloured foliage, as well as a variety of migrating birds.

It is another beautiful, warm day and with temperatures on the mountain forecast to be 23C/73.4F, we didn't know how much snow would be on the trails. There are many trails to choose from (including overnight backcountry campsites), but we thought we'd start off on the Paradise Loop Trail. Approximately half of the trail is boardwalk with the remainder well packed gravel. It wasn't long before we came across snow but decided to carry-on to see how far we could go.

The meadows are quite boggy so requires a lot of boardwalk...

Vegetation is just springing to life at this high elevation...

Skunk Cabbage...

Steve took a short 0:13 minute video...

Getting through this spot was a little dicey but I had my hiking pole which helped...

We made it about half-way around the loop. Steve checked out the route ahead and decided with my bad knee and his bum ankle that it wasn't worth taking a chance so we turned around at this point. The snow was on quite an angle and went for a long way with some deep sink holes and was quite slippery...

Looking back at Mount Washington...

We were back at the trailhead about 50 minutes later. We'll definitely be back sometime this summer to enjoy hiking the trails without snow...it is such a pretty spot!

On the way back to the car, we stopped at an info hut...it wasn't open but had great views and information posted outside.

Before heading back down the mountain, we drove to the the resort area...Mount Washington Alpine Resort. It is closed right now as they prepare for their summer activities, with a "soft opening" June 17 with the first big event being the BC Seafood Festival on the 23rd. They also have mountain biking and zip lining...

Whisky Jack Lift...haul your mountain bikes to the top and ride down.

Lots of ski runs...

Tube Park...

Comox Glacier...and the end of the Zip Line which Steve would like to try with his GoPro...

The Eagles Express Lift...

As we drive back you can see the BC mainland and Comox in the distance. Those aren't clouds...it's smoke from the wildfire at Cameron Lake that has closed the only highway to the west coast of the island.

Thursday (June 8) we headed out for more hiking...this time Elk Falls Suspension Bridge, outside of Campbell River (approx. 45 minutes north of us).

On our way up the Island Highway we took the turnoff to Saratoga Beach, 26 km/16 miles north of Courtenay. We had never been there and thought we'd check it out. It's a very popular summertime destination with lots of campgrounds, homes, and vacation rentals.

Located at the north end of the Comox Valley, at the mouth of the Oyster River, Saratoga Beach is considered by many as the ultimate stretch of shimmering sand on the sheltered east coast of Vancouver Island. The tide along this stretch of the shoreline goes out for over a quarter of a mile, creating a hard-packed oceanfront playground perfect for children. The gently sloping beach continues for well over a mile into the calm waters of the Salish Sea (Strait of Georgia), creating warm, shallow and safe swimming conditions, free from powerboat traffic, deep water or strong currents.

We parked at the beach access and got out to take a look...north. With the tide in there wasn't much sand visible...

...and south next to a campground...

A very pretty area!

The "Big Rock" as we approach Campbell River...

Marina and pier (more on the pier later...)

About 3 kms out of Campbell River, heading west, is Elk Falls Provincial Park and Protected Area. It is a huge park that has a campground and numerous hiking trails from various trailheads. We are going to the Elk Falls Suspension Bridge and area trails. 

BC Hydro's John Hart Generating Station is on the Campbell River and you actually have to cross over a foot bridge to access the trails. When we were last here they were still in the process of dismantling the large wooden water pipes that ran thru here...

(Click on photos to enlarge)

There are some huge trees...and stumps...in the park!

Our first view of Elk Falls...

Stairs that go down to the Falls viewing area and the suspension bridge...

Elk Falls...

The Suspension Bridge...

The 60-metre long suspension bridge offers free family fun with unprecedented views of the majestic Elk Falls. If the suspense of crossing is too much to handle, visitors have safe views of the iconic falls from two new viewing platforms; one directly facing Elk Falls and one easily accessible for visitors of all abilities.

We initially thought the trail continues on the other side of the bridge but found out that is not the case, it only goes over to a viewing platform. Steve went all the way across...I made it part-way to where I could see the falls but then had to turn around. I just can't do suspension bridges...the height is one thing but also how it bounces, especially when you get a bunch of people walking on it...

Elk Falls from the suspension bridge...

The view from the other side of the suspension bridge....

Above the falls from the viewpoint at the end of the bridge...

After leaving the suspension bridge, we retraced the trail back to the junction that leads back to the parking lot and continued on. Steve said he had never seen this leafy plant in the forest before. We later found a sign that said it was called Vanilla Leaf... 

A large tree growing out of a nurse stump...

An arch at the base of this cedar tree...

Amazingly this burned out hollow cedar tree was still alive. There were many other cedar trees like this one in the park still alive after a previous wildfire from long ago...

We walked to a viewpoint on the other side of the falls...

Viewpoint across the canyon...

Suspension bridge...

Above the falls...

The viewpoint opposite the falls...

We continued along the river canyon loop trail...

This photo is just to the right of the above photo. On such a hot day these deep pools sure looked inviting...

Deer Falls. John Hart Lake is just on the other side of the distant hillside... 

A close up...

Now we have to zig zag our way back up to the top...

Lots of moss on these trees...

The first part from the suspension bridge was a little bouncy with people crossing over. Steve put together this 2:15 minute video of our visit to the park...

Two hours and just over 4 kms/2.5 miles (7550 steps) later we were back at the car. That was a fabulous hike with a lot of elevation changes! We'll have to return when the water levels are higher.

By this time, it was going on 1:00 and we were hungry...so off to The Riptide Marine Pub on the waterfront in Campbell River. This was Steve's favourite dining spot back in his working days. You can watch the Alaskan cruise ships pass by here later in the day and evenings...

After a well deserved lunch, which included a pint of Hoyne Dark Matter beer, we headed to the Campbell River Discovery Pier...

The Discovery Fishing Pier extends 150 ft from shore and is 600 ft long allowing for unobstructed views of the Discovery Passage. A favourite spot with local anglers the pier provides easy access to recreational fishing. It has built-in rod holders, bait stands, fish cleaning tables, covered areas, picnic tables and benches. No rod? No problem the seasonal concession stand (Open May-October) provides rod and tackle rentals. In the summer months, the staff run a leaderboard and track all the catches made off the pier, see if you can make the board! In addition to the fishing, the concession stand is also famous for their delicious (and giant) ice cream cones!

Of course, we had to get an ice cream cone (they're famous, after all!) and then walked down to the end of the pier...

A BC Ferry returning from Quadra Island...

Looking back down the pier from the end...

Now...that was another awesome day!!

Friday (June 9) and the first of a couple of cooler days...even a little rain. Rain is really needed as it is so dry and as you have probably heard, there are a lot of wildfires burning in BC...and elsewhere in Canada. There are even a couple here on the island, of particular note is one I mentioned earlier at Cameron Lake which has closed down Highway 4 that connects Port Alberni and the west coast (Tofino and Ucluelet) to the rest of the island.

We had a rather low-key start to the day...I mainly worked on a blog update. About mid afternoon, we thought we'd get out for a little exercise riding our bikes all the way down to the end of the Courtenay Riverway trail. On the way back, we stopped at the Whistle Stop Pub.

The Whistle Stop Pub has been around for a very long time and the interior shows it's age...as Steve said, it has character! Yes, that it does! Alas, the pub is not going to be around (in it's current state) as we understand it is going to be demolished and a new building built in its place. There will be a pub on the main floor with condos above. I know it looks like we are the only ones here...we had to take a photo from this direction because of the brightness coming thru all the windows on the opposite side of the pub where all the people are...😁

We enjoyed our brew while listening to the bantering and laughter between some of the patrons and the staff. Steve said this place is just like Cheers...the old comedy show. The bartender said they used to have a heavy set patron called Norm, and every time he entered everyone would call out "Norm!" Too funny! There....another new to us pub has been crossed off our list!

The rain started late in the afternoon, not long after we got home from our bike ride, and it pretty much continued all night. Not a downpour, but a light rain. And when we got up Saturday (June 10), it continued...as a matter of fact, it ended up being a very heavy mist and a little foggy.

We met Earl and Allison for breakfast at the Early Bird Cafe in Courtenay. We dropped the truck off at another large, empty lot where hopefully someone will see it and say "I must have that truck!" and then went right to the cafe. We were about 10 minutes early, which was a good thing because it is a popular breakfast spot and we had to wait for a table for 4. By 9:00 when Earl and Allison arrived, we were waiting for them at a table. We had a great breakfast and a wonderful time catching up as it's been a couple of weeks since we've seen them. Another new spot for us!

The rest of the day was pretty quiet...Steve worked on picture editing while I went out to do a little shopping.

Sunday (June 11) morning we woke to blue sky and sunshine! We're heading back into some very warm temperatures again. 

We got out for our morning walk...doing the full 3.5 km Riverway Trail and around the Courtenay Airpark. After a quick stop at home, we both headed to Costco. Steve wanted to check out their clothes selections...he came home with a few pairs of pants and a couple of t-shirts, while I picked up a top and a jacket.

After lunch, I worked on this blog update while Steve did some reading and then watched a bit of TV...before it was time to hand the blog over for his input.

Since you all know that we are selling our truck, and we've been asked before "where can I find your ad", I thought I'd include a link to FaceBook Marketplace  (one of the many FB pages we've put it on) for anyone interested to take a look....

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/847615830058877/

Our 2 quads are also up for sale...

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/265073859339616/